The Chinese characters 墨 meaning is Chinese ink.

Chinese ink: 墨 was first made by mixing smoke-soot (黑) with gum to produce an earthy (土) substance. The mixture was then molded and hardened into a solid stick, ready to be ground with water to form live ink. Even though a little ink is better than a good memory, people apparently prefer to heed the proverb: “He who is near ink gets black; committing it to memory.”

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